Identifying the economic significance of and developments in an interdisciplinary social and economic field such as sport, health or tourism from official and non-official statistics is not a simple matter.

By using satellite accounts linked to the National Accounts, we have developed standalone reporting systems for individual interdisciplinary activities. These are harmonised with the national accounts (including inland product and input-output calculations) and the specific boundaries, methods and data of the national accounts. By using satellite accounts to complement National Accounts, it is possible to determine the direct economic significance of interdisciplinary activities.

The task of satellite systems is thus to illuminate in detail structural information implicit within the National Accounts, taking into account field-specific statistics (in a manner consistent with the National Accounts), in a separate system of tables. Monetary information can be complemented by non-monetary physical information (e.g. the number of hotel stays, businesses, employees or emissions) in order to comprehensively document economic, social and ecological factors for the relevant field.

As well as conceptual work on methodologies relating to satellite accounts to the national accounts, we also derive satellite accounts using practical empirical methods. We have extensive experience for a range of fields:

social welfare and sustainability

sport

health

tourism

the environment

transport

Results from field-specific satellite accounts can also be implemented in macroeconomic simulation models. Models extended in this way can be used to assess social, political and economic transformation processes.